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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · net · last · kid · bass · bulb · mine · pop

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. pop — music
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. last — to go on
  5. bulb — for light
  6. current — happening now
  7. last — finally
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. pop — to visit
  13. current — electric
  14. net — for catching
  15. mine — for digging
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. current — of water
  19. net — after costs
  20. bass — the fish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bass — low music
  24. pop — soda

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com